A Strategy of Hope

As a designer of things from the scale of a molecule to a region, I have great hope for our future. A designer’s purpose is to make life better, hopefully. Design is the first signal of human intention. We must ask if our species, by design, intends to destroy the quality of our home, because, if so, we are strategically and intentionally tragic.

To have a strategy of hope, we have a new design framework to adopt, one that celebrates the abundance of Earth and human creativity rather than bemoans limits. The chemist Michael Braungart and I have dedicated ourselves to articulating the Cradle to Cradle framework, in which everything is designed for continuous reuse in biological or technical cycles; everything is renewably powered, clean water is available to all, and we celebrate diversity. This allows us to joyfully become infinitely resourceful, physically and intellectually, led by profitable businesses that use currency on a mission to create intergenerational capital.

With commerce as the engine of change, looking to be more good, not just less bad, big ideas can be realized now. We know how to convert sewage plants to nutrient management systems, allowing us to grow safe, healthy food in, under and around our cities. Such strategies portend magnificent productivity and quality delivered both efficiently and effectively while we allow our ecosystems to heal. Our designs can focus on globally shared innovations and still reinforce and enhance local cultures, benefiting all scales of economic activity.

I find hope for the future in wisdom from the past. The 12th-century philosopher Hildegard of Bingen wrote, “Glance at the sun. See the moon and the stars. Gaze at the beauty of Earth’s greenings. Now, think.” In the 20th century, Albert Einstein wrote, “Our task must be to free ourselves ... by widening our circle of compassion to embrace all living creatures and the whole of Nature and its beauty.” In the 21st century, our design assignment is simple: how do we love all the children of all the species for all time? It is time to plant an orchard of Cradle to Cradle opportunity to honour present and future generations. We can move forward together, fiercely, with hope, not fear.